19 Rituals to Make 2019 Your Best Year Yet

It’s 2019, and what’s not to celebrate? Nineteen is a special spiritual number, a blend of the number one’s vibration of successful new beginnings and number nine’s reflection of universal spiritual laws, karma and enlightenment. This could be the year you find your divine purpose.

No matter what your intentions for this new year may be, you can bring more health, serenity and abundance into your life by incorporating these simple but meaningful rituals into your days. Unlike other resolutions you may have made, these don’t involve gym memberships or heavy time commitments, but they’ll make a world of difference in your overall wellbeing.

19 Easy-to-Do Rituals to Try Right Now

1. Start your day with gratitude.

Start your day with gratitude. When you get out of bed, stretch and reach your arms to the sky while connecting with three things you’re grateful for.
Read: The 5 Ways to Boost Happiness

2. Drink a glass of warm lemon water before you eat or drink anything else.

Drink a glass of warm lemon water before you eat or drink anything else. Water rehydrates you, and in addition to being packed with vitamins and minerals, lemons help with digestion and balance your body’s pH levels. Warm water won’t shock your body like cold water does.
Learn: 12 Steps to Eating Mindfully

3. Every morning, ask yourself, What can I do to improve someone else’s life today?

Or follow the lead of Benjamin Franklin, who began his mornings by asking, What good shall I do this day?
Check out: Kind World Podcast from WBUR and The Best Podcasts for Motivation, Inspiration & Wisdom

4. In the morning, identify three things you can do for your health and wellness that day.

Whether it’s catching a spin or yoga class or picking up fresh fruit and veggies at the market, these three decisions will improve not only your day, but your overall health.
Read: 7 Superfoods for Spiritual Growth

5. Write morning pages.

Julia Cameron introduced the idea of writing three longhand stream-of-consciousness pages every morning in the timeless classic The Artist’s Way, and creatives have been waking and partaking ever since.
Learn: Why Journaling Will Make You More Creative

6. Get your blood pumping with bellows breath.

This energizing breathing exercise that’s a great way to start the day or reinvigorate when you’re feeling sluggish. Sit up tall, take a few deep, expansive breaths, then exhale quickly and forcefully through your nose for 30 seconds. (Pause for a few minutes if you feel lightheaded and try again with less speed and intensity.) Then sit still for 30 seconds.
Read: How to Create Your Meditation Sanctuary at Home

7. Detox your mouth and whiten your smile over time with 15 minutes of oil pulling.

It’s also known as kavala graha, the ancient Ayurvedic practice of swishing coconut oil around in the mouth to remove bacteria and prevent plaque buildup. But be sure to spit out—never swallow—the oil in a waste basket, as it will clog drains.

8. After you brush your teeth, take a few seconds to smile at yourself in the mirror.

You’ll be amazed at what it can do to improve your mood and launch positive thought patterns that will last all day.
Read: 10 Ridiculously Easy Ways to Practice Self-Love

9. Sweep your kitchen floor or front stoop mindfully.

And instead of thinking of it as a simple housecleaning task, turn it into a ritual for getting rid of energy that’s no longer serving you. With each stroke of the broom, consider what you no longer need, thank it for the lessons, and let it go.

10. Chase away bad energy with palo santo.

Smudging with this sacred wood cleanses your space of negative energy and invites in good vibrations. Once a day, light a stick of palo santo and offer up a devotional prayer, letting the smoke carry it to the heavens.
Learn: 6 Benefits of Palo Santo

11. Go for a walk—and keep your cell phone in your pocket or even at home.

If you can get out into nature, that’s even better. Research proves that a walk in nature (in Japan it’s called “forest bathing”) can help fight depression and even strengthen immunity. If you’re in the city, taking a mindful stroll through your neighborhood can make all the difference in clearing your head.
Read: How to Forest Bathe at Work

12. Repeat a sacred chant or mantra whenever you feel stressed or need grounding.

It can be as simple as om mani padme hum (one of the most common Tibetan Buddhist chants evoking compassion) or you can make up your own.

13. Light a candle.

Candles offer soft warmth and comfort on even the deepest, darkest winter nights. If they fill the room with your favorite scent, all the better.

14. Take a sound bath.

Get out your singing bowl or listen to singing bowl music whenever you’re feeling stressed or overstimulated. The vibrations balance your body’s energy and wrap you in a blanket of deep serenity.
Learn: 3 Ways to Take Your Sound Bath to the Next Level

15. Take a relaxing aromatherapy bath.

Mix a tablespoon of coconut oil with two drops of lavender, rose or chamomile essential oil.
Read: How to Use Essential Oils: A Room-by-Room Guide

16. Give yourself a digital break.

For five minutes every day, step away from all devices and get present with your physical reality. Stretch, do jumping jacks, or just look out the window.
Explore: How to Cultivate a Healthy Connection in the Digital Age

17. Make and share a cup of tea.

The Japanese have a phrase for this: shaza kissa, which means“Well, let’s sit down and have some tea.” When Zen priest Esai brought tea seeds from China to Japan in the 12^th century, he said strengthening friendship and disciplining body and mind were among its virtues.
Read: How to Prepare a Traditional Japanese Tea Service

18. Write a to-do list for tomorrow’s most important tasks as if you’ve already accomplished them.

You’ll sleep better without all those loose to-dos cluttering up your brain.

19. End the day with gratitude.

In The Happiness Advantage, author Shawn Achor suggests spending a few minutes before bed writing about one positive experience you had that day. This amplifies the positive experience in your mind, he says, and after 21 days your brain will reprogram itself to keep positivity flowing.